City Shadows Arc 3: 12 Signs and the Shadow Legion
by Zephyros-Phoenix
Summary: Sequel to Arc 2, DragoxOC, OCxOC. Summer is here and the Shadow Strikers are looking forward to some peaceful relaxation. However, the Shadow Legion, once led by Tzan Ren, resurfaces and sets their sights on Earth and the mysterious 12 Signs. But with Tzan Ren dead, who is leading them now? And what of the Light-Bringer? How is he the key to defeating the darkness?
1. Under New Management

**I'll be honest guys, I was trying to see how long I could wait to post this. But since I started working on chapter 2 already, I figured, why not? Plus I'm about to buckle down for assignments and papers, so... yeah. Anyway, I'm honestly so amazed that we made it this far into a series of stories and I appreciate all the support and feedback you guys have given.**

**For newcomers, this is the third installment of a series. So, while not required, it is highly recommended you go and read arcs 1 and 2 before starting this. I will not be answering stupid questions that can be answered in arcs 1 and 2.**

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><p>"So whad'ya guys think?" Drago asked.<p>

"Uh, I dunno. I mean, I may not know much about human stuff, but doesn't the flame decal seem a bit cliche?" Liam asked.

"Yeah, I gotta go with Liam on this one," Remy agreed.

"What are you guys talking about? The flame decal is cool! And it's perfect for me!" Drago argued as he climbed off the black motorcycle with orange and yellow flame decal.

"Perfect or not, can you even afford it?" Remy asked.

"Well… no."

"Yeah and I don't think Mala would be cool with you renewing your membership to the five finger discount. Mavis told me about that, I still don't get what it means!" Liam exclaimed.

"I guess I'll need to get a job then. But think about it! How cool would having a motorcycle be? Chicks dig guys on motorcycles," Drago said.

"They do? Maybe I should get one…" Liam pondered. "Whad'ya say, Remy? Why don't you get one too? You could get a nice black and green one. Eh? I know you love black and green," Liam suggested, playfully elbowing Remy in his side.

"Yeah, ok having a motorcycle would be pretty cool. And fairly efficient too if we ever got in a road chase. I doubt Tim will be willing to let us use the car his parents are buying him. Oh, why not?" Remy conceded.

"Yes!" Liam exclaimed.

"But there is still the issue of how to pay for them," Remy added.

"Hey, why don't you ask Mala? She makes a ton of money selling all that jewelry she makes. Makes me wish I had a Demon Chi like that. What can I make money with off Shadow and Sound Demon Chi?" Liam asked.

"Nah, I can't ask her for the money. I'm almost nineteen and I need to be able to pay for my own things. It'd be embarrassing to get money from my girlfriend. Plus, Mala's birthday's coming up next month anyway, so yeah."

"Well, I guess that means we're going to need to find jobs," Liam sighed.

As the three of them strolled down the street, they met up with Mala and Tim.

"Where's Mavis?" Liam asked.

"In there," Tim pointed to the restaurant they were standing outside of.

"What's this?" Remy asked.

"It's some new breakfast buffet place that just opened up over the weekend," Mala explained. "Mavis ran right inside the minute she saw it."

"I'm not surprised. It's a combination of two of her favorite things: breakfast foods and all you can eat buffets," Liam commented.

"Well, in her defence, who doesn't love all you can eat buffets?" Mala asked.

"Not to mention the ability to eat breakfast foods during every other time besides breakfast. The hours say it's open all day," Tim added.

"Well, I'm starving. Let's get something to eat," Drago said, opening the door for them all to go in. The five went in and found Mavis sitting alone at a large table that she saved for the rest of them. Apparently by the time they got her, she had already finished her second helping of pancakes and was back to the buffet line for her third. By the time they finished, Mavis alone went through two whole cans of whipped cream. On their way out, she paid for a third one, which she casually ate by spraying the whipped cream right in her mouth as they made their way to Kuang's store.

"What is with you and the whipped cream?" Remy asked.

"It's the best thing ever! I go through a can in like a minute! Sadly, that's why whipped cream isn't allowed in the house anymore. Whenever we have strawberries or pie, there's never any whipped cream because of the dreaded whipped cream bandit," Mavis explained.

"Right, and would this whipped cream bandit have long reddish-brown hair in pigtails and be wearing a black cat-eared hat?" Liam asked.

"Maaaaaybe," Mavis sang. When they turned the corner to Kuang's store, all six of them gasped in surprise at the piled up boxes and moving van parked outside the entrance. "What the hell?" Mavis exclaimed.

"Kuang, what's going on?" Mala asked as they made their way inside past the boxes and movers to Kuang at the back of the shop.

"Yeah, what's with the movers and boxes?" Liam added.

"Oh, it's nothing kids. I'm just retiring!" he replied happily.

"Retiring? How come?" Tim asked.

"Well kids, I'm pretty old and honestly between surviving an attack on my shop by a Dark Chi Wizard and nearly having the city overrun with Demon Sorcerers, I think it's high time I just sit back, relax and just enjoy the rest of my life."

"But then what's going to happen to the store?" Remy asked.

"And the workshop?" Tim added.

"And spell ingredients?" Mala added.

"Now, now, now," Kuang said, waving his hands to quiet them down. "I'll still be around. I am your landlord after all," he added, looking at Liam, Drago and Remy. "So I'll still be able to privately order you whatever ingredients you need. And you can always just prepare the spells in your apartment, I'll allow it. Just, you know, open some windows when you do. As for the store, I'm selling the space."

"Selling? To who?" Drago asked.

"Me." The six of them turned to see a tall, well-built young man with long golden hair tied in a low, loose braid. He wore a dark blue sweater with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, white pants and black dress shoes. But the most eye catching detail about him was the beautiful star-shaped, yellow amulet around his neck.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet my son, Arran," Kuang said.

"Your son?" they exclaimed in surprise.

"No offence, but you two don't look much alike," Mala pointed out.

"Haha, I get that a lot. It's because I get my looks from my mother," Arran replied. "Anyway, my dad's told me a lot about you guys. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Let me guess. Liam, Tim, Mavis, Mala, Drago and… Remington, was it?" Arran asked, pointing at each of them as he flawlessly to match got their names correct.

"Yeah, but you can just call me Remy for short," Remy replied.

"Ah, will do."

"So if you don't mind us asking, why did you buy the store?" Mala asked.

"Well, when dad decided to retire, he was looking for someone to buy the store from him. I was just finishing up my degree in Greek history and mythology and thought, why don't I buy it? I'm going to turn it into a little restaurant; I've always wanted to own one. And it'll be nice to keep the space in the family."

"A restaurant? Awesome! What kind of cuisine? When are you opening?" Mavis asked.

"Well, there's still a lot of renovations to be done, so it might be a while before I can open for business. Plus, I need to hire some staff. Any of you interested in a job?" Arran asked.

"Oh, oh! We are!" Liam exclaimed, pointing to himself, Drago and Remy, who nodded in agreement.

"Great!"

"Oh, are you gonna have a bar? If so, can I be the bartender?" Mavis asked.

"Mavis the drinking age is twenty one. You're still only seventeen," Tim pointed out.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't mix drinks!" she protested.

"Haha, I'm sure I can find something for you to do around here," Arran said.

* * *

><p>Deep in the Demon Netherworld, Hei Gou sat obediently waiting for his master as two demons stood nearby him. The first was a humanoid demon with a long jacket, light armor and a long, thin black blade strapped to his back. The other was a gigantic titan made of dark stones and swirling shadows oozing from parts of the golem. In the distance coming towards them was An Gou, Hei's other half. The pair of demon dogs were twins with Hei being the larger, stronger male and An being the thinner, faster female. Following her was a similarly humanoid demon dressed head to toe in light armor with a tattered cloak and hood. Across her back she had a quiver and a black bow in her hand. When she arrived to the other two demons, the golem demon spoke.<p>

"About time, Hou Yi! Do you realize how long we've been waiting!" the golem growled.

"Oh shut your overgrown gullet, Wei Gong. The mutt couldn't have had worse timing!" Hou Yi bit back while throwing a glare at An Gou.

"Psh, busy with Tso Lan again?" the sword wielding demon asked. "I have to ask, how freaky does it get with him with those four arms and that tongue?"

"What I do with my time is my business, Jun Bing! Why have we been summoned?"

"Isn't it obvious? Our master has called us. As his loyal Demon Commanders, it is our duty to him to answer," Wei simply replied.

"But that is impossible. Our master is dead! The Shadow Legion disbanded!" Hou Yi protested.

"Don't believe everything you hear, Hou Yi." The three demons turned to the source of the voice as a large, shadow formed over them. A pair of bright red eyes opened in the shadows and glared at them below as Hou Yi gasped in surprise.

"M-master! Y-you live?" she exclaimed in pure shock.

"The crystal wench may have destroyed my body, but with her death, I was freed from the prison she left me in," the shadow spoke.

"We knew you would return, master," Wei said faithfully.

"What do you command of us?" Jun asked.

"I have waited long enough for what is rightfully mine. I may be trapped in this form, but I know of a way to get my body back."

"How?" Hou Yi asked.

"You all remember my dear twin sister, yes?" the shadow asked.

"Shuo Guang," Wei muttered, "A disgrace to all Demon Sorcerers!"

"Before her… expiration, she crafted twelve signs of extraordinary power, much like Shen Du's talismans. I know that one in particular will grant me the power to restore my body."

"How do we find them?" Jun asked.

"Long ago, Shuo Guang and I were once a single entity, one of light and dark, female and male, good and evil. As her twin, I am able to sense the Signs and use them to their full power in a way that no other could. But in this form, my power is greatly diminished. I can only focus on one at a time and I cannot determine which Sign it is from a distance. I will require you three to acquire these Signs for me until we find the one I need."

"Yes, master," the three demons said in unison.

"But how will we get to the human world, master? Your son banished you to this place," Wei Gong started saying.

"Silence! Do not dare mention my son to me! Test my patience once more Wei Gong, and I will send you right back to being the snivelling little scout you once were. Once I've reclaimed my body, I will finish what I started years ago. But before I put an end to his existence, I will make him watch as I plunder and burn the world he loves so much," the shadow declared.

"Haha, I'm loving the sound of this already!" Hou Yi grinned. "But how will we get to the human world?"

"I may have lost much of my power being in this form, but I still retain some of them. No matter what, there is darkness everywhere. Where there exists a shadow, I will be able to open a path from here to it. Even the tiniest shadow will be sufficient. Wei, you will remain here. I do not want to attract… unwanted attention, at least not yet. The last thing I want is for my son and his friends," the shadow sneered, "to become aware of my plans. Remember the powers I bestowed upon you all: fire, wind and earth," he said, looking at the twin hounds, Hou Yi and Wei Gong in succession. "Jun, are you sure you do not want a shadow element?"

"I appreciate the offer, my lord," Jun said with a noble bow, "but my sword is my power. A true swordsman need not rely on powers stolen from another."

"Very well, Jun, but I'm sure you will change your mind. When offered a chance to embrace the darkness, they always come around eventually. Hou Yi, as my scout commander, you will be the first to go. Bring me the Signs and do not fail me," he warned maliciously.

"Yes sir!" she bowed.

"Already I can feel the presence of one… no, three! How convenient that three would be together in one place? One of them must be the one I seek! Go, Hou Yi, and bring me my Signs! Hei Gou and An Gou will accompany you. They are, after all, my eyes," the shadow declared. In front of them, a large shadowy portal formed. Hou Yi and the twin demon dogs jumped and it closed after them.

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><p><strong>Those of you that read Kingdom Shadows, the AU spin-off of this story, may remember the mention of two demons, Hou Yi and Jun Bing. Well, they weren't exclusively for that story, not one bit! Followers on deviantart can expect images of the Shadow Legion some time within... maybe the next month. Depends how my work load goes. <strong>

**Did you guys pick up on all my hints? I write in a very specific way that if you're smart and read carefully, you'll get them ;)**


	2. The Archer

**Ok, so I just wanted to give a little maturity warning because this chapter has some... suggestive themes... It's nothing too bad (at least not to me, but I have no idea how young or innocent some of you are). You have been warned. **

**Character pictures will come soon, promise!**

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><p>In the shadow cast by a large oak tree in the middle of the park emerged a tall, hooded archer with bright red eyes and two demonic, six legged hounds. "Ugh, it is so bright and… cheerful here. It sickens me," Hou Yi muttered in disgust. "Mutt, what are you doing?" she shouted at An Gou, who simply cocked her head to the side. "You're the tracker! Find those Signs!" An Gou quickly jumped up and began scurrying around the park, sniffing the ground and air for the scent of nearby magic. Her head suddenly perked up and she excitedly dashed off, disappearing in an instant. "Accursed mutt, how am I supposed to keep up with her? You," she turned to Hei Gou, "You can at least track your twin, yes?" Hei Gou barked in response before trotting after An Gou, albeit far slower, as Hou Yi followed. "At least one of you two is useful."<p>

* * *

><p>"Ah, summer feels so good! I've been waiting for this all year!" Mavis exclaimed as she and her friends strolled down the streets of Los Angeles.<p>

"Define 'all year'," Tim asked.

"Since the end of last summer," Mavis answered.

"Right," Liam laughed.

"The only problem is now I'm bored! Yeah school was boring but at least it was something to do during the day. Now, well there's nothing to do. And there hasn't been any demon activity since the end of spring!" Mavis complained.

"Honestly, I'd rather be bored than face another demon takeover," Mala admitted.

"At least we'll have something to do once Arran opens his restaurant!" Remy added.

"Yeah, he did offer us jobs after all," said Drago.

"I still can't believe Kuang never told us he had a son!" Liam cried.

"Well, we never did actually ask him much about his personal life…" Mala reasoned.

"That's true, I suppose," Liam said.

"Oh, speaking of family, the big Callahan family reunion is coming up next month in Ireland and you're all officially invited!" Mavis declared.

"Really? You want us at your family reunion? I mean… we're not exactly 'normal' friends," Liam said.

"Relax, there's plenty of room! It's gonna be at my uncle Seamus' old family castle so there's more than enough room for you guys! Oh, and this should go without saying, but no funny business you two!" Mavis exclaimed, pointing at Mala and Drago.

"Funny business?" Drago cried.

"What are you talking about?" Mala asked, confused.

"Oh, don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about. I got a text from Liam last month with a picture of a sock on Drago's doorknob entitled 'What does this mean?'" Mavis explained, pulling out her phone to show them the message.

"Oh my god!" Mala cried, her cheeks burning red.

"Wha? You were home?" Drago shouted.

"We both were actually," Remy added.

"Oh my god…" Mala muttered again, covering her face with her hands.

"All we heard was some giggling, I swear! I kinda put up a sound barrier before it got any further," Liam explained.

"I have never been more embarrassed in my entire life!" Mala wailed.

"There, there, it's all right," Mavis said, patting her back. "So how was he?"

"MAVIS!" Mala shrieked.

"What? Girls are supposed to tell each other these things!"

"I am not having this conversation with you!" Mala shouted. Grabbing the sleeve of Drago's jacket, she stormed off with her boyfriend in tow.

"Hey, this time put the sock on the apartment door, not just your bedroom door!" Liam teased as they disappeared around the corner.

"You two are just terrible," Tim shook his head in disappointment.

"What? We're just teasing!" Mavis exclaimed, trying to defend herself.

"Yeah, I don't think they appreciated it," Remy added.

"Oh they'll be fine. I'm honestly surprised it didn't happen sooner, with the chemistry those two have," Mavis grinned.

"Maybe we should just give them some space and apologize later," Liam suggested.

"And just some advice for the future, it's considered very offensive and inappropriate to talk about someone's sexual activity while they're in the room," Tim said.

"Noted. So, what are the plans for today?" Just as Liam finished his question, he felt something strike him from behind and send him falling face first into the pavement. "Ow… what was that?" he groaned as his friends helped him up. His head shot up when he heard a familiar bark, one that he hadn't heard for a long time.

"…What… is that?" Mavis asked as the four of them stared at the dark brown, red-eyed demonic hound in front of them.

"…A-An?" Liam whispered in disbelief.

The hound barked happily before jumping up to him, knocking him back to the ground and licking his face affectionately.

"Uh, Liam you want to fill us in?" Tim asked.

"T-this is An Gou," he started, still overcoming the shock and surprise. "She… she was my only friend back in the Demon Netherworld. But if she's here, then that means…" Just as Liam turned around, he saw a similar, though bulkier, looking demon hound running up to him. "Get back!" he shouted, pushing the others behind him. The hound leapt forward towards him with a roar while Liam held up his arm as the hound sunk its teeth into his arm. "Ah!" Liam cried in pain before letting out a loud shriek right into the hound's face that shattered nearby windows and knocked the hound back to the end of the block as it released its grip on Liam's arm. He quickly changed into his demon form, grabbed his three friends and shot up into the sky.

"What the hell was that?" Mavis shouted.

"That's Hei Gou, An's twin. The only problem is that he's not as nice as she is!" Linos answered.

"That still doesn't explain what they're even doing here!" Tim cried.

"You two remember those shoulder pads my dad had, the ones that looked like demonic heads?" Linos asked.

"Yeah," Tim and Mavis replied in unison.

"Well, that's them! Ahhh!" Linos cried out in pain again as his flying suddenly faltered.

"You're hit!" Remy cried, seeing a pitch black arrow shot right through his wing.

"I'm fine!" Linos assured them. He flapped his unharmed wing harder to compensate, but strangely, they didn't move at all. They just sat there in place as Linos tried to move forward.

"What's happening?" Mavis cried.

"Why aren't we going anywhere?" Tim asked.

"It's not me… It's the wind!" Linos realized. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew right towards him, sending them straight to the ground and crashing into a dirty alley.

"Linos, you ok?" Mavis asked, helping him up.

"Yeah, yeah I'm-OW!" Linos yelped in pain as Remy ripped the arrow out of his wing. "A little warning next time?"

"It's better without the warning, otherwise you tense up!" Remy argued.

"Let me see that," Linos said, as Remy handed him the arrow. "Shit…" he muttered, examining the arrow tip.

"What is it?" Tim asked.

Upon hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, the four turned their attention to one end of the alley. A dark, cloaked figure with bright red eyes and a large bow stepped into view and grinned maliciously. "Well, this is a surprise. I send the mutt off to find a Sign and instead she leads me to you. Perhaps An Gou is not as useless as she seems. The master will reward me for bringing you his head!" she declared, drawing her bow.

"Run… RUN!" Linos shouted, quickly changing back to his human form and pushing the others ahead of him.

"Who the hell is that?" Mavis shouted.

"A demon!" Remy answered.

"Obviously, but that's not what I meant!" Mavis bit back.

"Her name is Hou Yi and she's one of the Demon Commanders of my dad's army!" Liam answered.

"Your dad had an army?" Tim cried, surprised.

"All Demon Sorcerers do! He called his the Shadow Legion!"

"He can't call them that! We've already got 'shadow' in our name! It's conflicting!" Mavis yelled.

"Technically he called them that before any of us ever met! But that's not the point! Call Mala and Drago. They need to know about this!" Liam shouted. As they were running, he brought up several shadow tendrils, catching or otherwise stopping Hou Yi's arrows from striking them.

"It's ringing!" Mavis cried, calling Mala. "Hey! Mala, we've got a problem! Ok, no not about that, there's a demon that's shooting at us-HEY!" Mavis shouted as her phone was shot out of her hand and into a post by Hou Yi's black arrows. "That was my phone!"

"Not the time Mavis!" Liam cried, pulling her around the corner as they continued running.

* * *

><p>"Mavis? Mavis? Hello? It just cut off…" Mala said, curiously looking at her phone.<p>

"What did she want? To poke more fun at us?" Drago asked.

"I'm sure that's not it. Mavis doesn't seem like that kind of person," Arran commented. After rushing off in embarrassment, Mala and Drago had retreated to Kuang's old shop, which was nearly completely emptied out and ready to start renovations.

"…Your dad obviously didn't tell you accurate information about Mavis," Drago said.

"So what did she want then?" Arran asked.

"Uh…, um, well, it's kinda hard to explain really. Uh, Drago and I can handle it though," Mala quickly formulated her response before grabbing Drago by the arm and pulling him out of the soon-to-be restaurant. Arran narrowed his eyes curiously at the pair as they left. His interest peeked, he exited the building, locking the door behind him before following after the couple, but from a safe enough distance so that they didn't notice him.

"So what was Mavis calling about?" Drago asked as they ran.

"Demon trouble," she answered.

"Already? Heaven forbid we get a week into summer vacation before demon trouble start up again!"

"Tell me about it! Let's get to the others right away!"

"Where do you suppose there are?" Drago asked.

All of a sudden, they heard a loud explosion in the distance as a stream of dark energy shot up into the sky. "I'm gonna guess over there," Mala pointed out. Mala kept flying them ahead until they reached the park. There, they saw Liam, Mavis, Tim and Remy pinned to trees with black, claw-like arrows. Running up to them, Mala cried, "What happened? Are you guys ok?"

"Look out!" Remy cried.

When Mala turned around, she saw three black arrows flying right towards her. She raised a crystal wall just in time to block them before spotting the dark, cloaked archer that fired them.

"Who is that?" Drago shouted.

"Long story!" Liam cried back.

"TLDR, she's a demon that's trying to kill us!" Mavis yelled.

"Heh, good enough for me!" Drago grinned, throwing two fireballs at their attacker. However, before they could hit her, a gust of wind blew them out. "What the?"

"Hm, son of Shen Du," the archer commented. "I didn't expect you. Though I must say, the hounds wield your father's Chi better than you do." As she finished her sentence, Hei and An appeared by her side and unleashed a spinning cyclone of black flames from their mouths at Drago.

"You think a little black fire is gonna scare me?" Drago waved his arms to disperse the flames, but nothing happened. "Huh?" Shocked that the fires didn't obey him, Drago was knocked back by the flames as Hou Yi took the chance to pin him to a tree.

"Drago!" Mala cried out in worry. However, with sharp speed, Hou Yi took advantage of Mala's distraction and pinned the last of them to a tree as well.

"Now, back to business. Where are they?" Hou Yi asked, approaching Liam.

"Where are what?" he snapped back.

"Do not play games with me, boy. I know you have them! It is no coincidence that the son of the Shadow Demon Sorcerer would be involved in this! You must have them!"

"I don't know what you're talking about Hou Yi! And Tzan Ren is dead! What is the Shadow Legion up to?"

"Ha, you think I would divulge our plans with a little traitor like you? Darkness never dies," she whispered, leaning in close to Liam. "You are a being of darkness Linos. Do you really think the humans will accept you when they know what you are? Where you come from? Face it, you will always be one with the darkness inside your heart. That, you can never run away from. Now, tell me where the Signs are!" she threatened, drawing her bow with the arrow pointed right at Liam's face.

"I don't know where they are! And even if I did, I'd never tell you!" Liam shouted.

"He doesn't have them."

"Huh? Who said that?" Hou Yi cried, sharply turning around to see a young man with long blonde hair standing opposite to her a few feet away. "Who are you?"

"Arran! What are you doing here?" Mala cried.

"Uh… this isn't what is looks like!" Mavis exclaimed.

"Oh this is gonna be a tough one to explain," Tim muttered.

"Arran, hm? Another one of your human friends, Linos? Well, I'll be sure to make you watch as I make an example of this human!" Hou Yi drew back on her bow and fired an arrow right towards Arran. As they cried out in worry and fear for him, Arran simply raised his hand towards the oncoming arrow as a golden barrier of light formed around him, disintegrating the arrow on impact.

"What?" Hou Yi cried in pure shock while the others all stared at Arran with wide eyes and dropped jaws.

"You were right when you said that darkness never dies, Hou Yi. Unfortunately for you, neither does light," Arran whispered. Suddenly, he was enveloped in a bright white light, forcing them all to shield their eyes as best they could from the sheer intensity of it. When the light finally dimmed, everyone gasped in shock to see Arran had transformed. He was draped in white, gold and light blue cloth and armor, with a large hood over his head. His skin turned white while his hair remained the same. But the most distinguished features were the glowing, golden wings of light coming from his back and his bright red eyes that were identical to a demon's.

_'…The Light-Bringer!'_ Mala thought instantly, recalling the prophecy her mother made before her death. The prophecy had stated that darkness would return to consume everything and that the only way they could stop it was with the help of the "Light-Bringer". _'That must be him!'_

"W-what are you?" Hou Yi grunted.

Arran said nothing as he raised his left hand out in front of him. A small ball of light formed just over his palm as a bow of light suddenly formed out from it. He drew back on the string, causing an immaculate golden arrow to form. He released his grip on the drawstring, sending the arrow right at Hou Yi.

"Heh, no matter!" she declared, waving her hand to summon a dark gust of wind to blow the arrow away. However, the arrow's light cut straight through the wind, unaffected by its influence and continued down its original path. "What?" she gasped. Paralyzed in fear, Hou Yi failed to move out of the way as the arrow struck her in the shoulder. She screamed in pain as the light energy of the arrow began to spread across her body. With shaking hands, she pulled the arrow out and it disappeared. "F-fall back!" she ordered, gripping her shoulder. Followed by Hei and An, Hou Yi disappeared into the large shadow cast by a tree. Once she was gone, the arrows she had used to pin everyone disappeared, freeing them.

"Wha… how?" Mavis said, not knowing where to begin and having trouble getting her words together.

"Please," Arran said, holding his hand to silence them, "I know you all have many questions and I will answer them. But not here."

* * *

><p>"Oh, back so soon?" Wei teased, noticing Hou Yi's return.<p>

"Stuff it Wei!" Hou shouted, still gripping her shoulder.

"Were you successful?" Jun asked.

"What do you think?"

"I think the master will not like this…" Jun muttered.

"And what is it that I will not like?" the shadow asked, suddenly appearing before the three Commanders. "Hou Yi, where are the Signs?"

"M-master, I've failed you!" she whimpered, fearful of the punishment she knew she'd receive. "B-but it's not my fault, I swear!"

"Oh? And what exactly caused my best ranger to fail in her mission?" the shadow bellowed.

"L-Linos, he was there!"

"What?"

"It's true, master! But that wasn't the only thing. They…they had a light demon!"

"A light demon?" the shadow asked, confused.

"There are no more light demons, Hou Yi. Master saw to that when he killed Shuo Guang!" Wei interjected.

"I know what I saw!" she barked. "It was a light demon a-and he had the same powers as her, as your sister!"

"If you are lying…" the shadow began.

"I am not, I swear! Look at this," she said, gesturing to her injured and scorched shoulder, "only light could do this to a shadow demon!"

"This complicates things," Jun noted. "What shall we do now master?"

"This does not change our plans. Focus on the Signs! Once my body is restored, I can destroy this light demon myself!"

* * *

><p><strong>So, those of you who had Arran pegged as "The ArcherLight-Bringer" can pat yourselves on the back because you were right! I'm kinda amazed all it took was that one little mention of him to have the majority of you suspect him so quickly. I'm surprised some people chose female characters on the poll on my deviantart page. I mean, Lang Yan specifically refers to the Archer as male... so yeah**

**But, come next chapter there will be some information coming your way as well as a revelation... but I'm sure if you're smart you can figure it out ;)**


	3. Light and Dark

**Ok, got so engrossed in school work that I kinda forgot about writing XD That, and I am working on a new cosplay project. But since I got a lot of writing done for one of my papers, I figured I could wrap this chapter up!**

**Oh and pop on over to my deviantart to catch a glimpse of Arran's appearance, human and demon! Shadow Legion coming soon!**

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><p>"Ok," Arran started, locking the door of his renovated store behind him and closing the blinds to ensure privacy during their discussion, "Who has the first question?"<p>

"Uh… what the hell? Like seriously, what the hell was that?" Mavis exclaimed.

"Elegantly put, Mavis," Tim commented.

"Yeah, I'm with Mavis on this one," Mala added as the other affirmed their own agreement.

"Hm, I think it would be better if I started from the beginning," Arran said.

"Yes, that would probably be best," Tim commented.

"All right then," he thought for a moment on where to start his explanation from. "Well, you all know Tzan Ren, am I right?"

"Yeah," everyone nodded.

"He's my father," Liam said.

"Huh… wouldn't have guessed at first glance. I mean, you look so much more like Hsian Ji," Arran noted.

"You know my mother?" Liam asked.

"No, no, I just knew of her, that's all. Anyway, a long time ago when time began, there was a powerful being in existence. It represented duality in nature: dark and light, man and woman, evil and good, yin and yang."

"How come I've never heard of this before?" Liam asked.

"It's never come up in any of my father's book before either," Mala added.

"I'm not surprised, this being existed ages ago, long before life appeared on Earth," Arran explained.

"What happened to it?" Remy asked.

"No one's really sure what exactly caused it, but the being split into two: a female spirit of light and goodness and a male spirit of shadows and evil," Arran explained as he motioned the splitting with his hands.

"Tzan Ren," Liam muttered bitterly.

"Precisely. The other spirit was called Shuo Guang, better known as the Light Demon Sorceress and Tzan Ren's twin sister."

"Tzan Ren had a twin sister?" Tim cried in surprise.

"There's a Light Demon Sorceress?" Drago cried next.

"I-I have an aunt?" Liam gasped with wide eyes in shock.

"I'm not surprised he never mentioned her. Shuo Guang was Tzan Ren's opposite in every way and he hated her for it. At first, he just tolerated her existence while she became a pariah among the other Demon Sorcerers for her open affection for all life and, well, being nice. Traits that, as you know, are not tolerated by most Demon Sorcerers. Eventually, toleration wasn't enough, so Tzan Ren destroyed her himself."

"But what does the Light Demon Sorceress have to do with this?" Mala asked.

"Shuo Guang… was also my mother," Arran said.

"Your mother?" they all cried in unison.

"Wait, wait, if your mother and my father are twins, then…" Liam thought out loud, connecting the dots in his head.

"That would make use cousins, wouldn't it?" Arran smiled.

"Th-this is a lot to take in…" Liam exhaled.

"So, if the Light Demon Sorceress was your mother and Kuang is your father, then you'd be a half-demon, right?" Mala asked.

"That's right, just like the two of you," he said to her and Drago.

"Ok, great backstory and all, but next question: what exactly are the Signs?" Mavis asked.

"Yeah, Hou Yi wouldn't stop asking us about them," Tim added.

"Well, think of them like Shen Du's talismans of the Chinese zodiac. The Signs are twelve sigils of power created by my mother and each has its own emblem of the Greek zodiac."

"The Greeks have a zodiac?" Mavis asked.

"You know the horoscopes you see in newspapers?" Tim asked her.

"Yeah," she answered.

"It's like those! Aquarius, Cancer, Scorpio," Remy said next.

"Oh! Oh, I know what you're talking about now! Got it! Please continue," Mavis smiled.

"Well, my mother left them to me before she died and up until a couple months ago, I had them all safe and sound."

"What happened?" Drago asked.

"A couple Demon Sorcerers must have gotten loose. They attacked me trying to steal the Signs."

"Demon Sorcerers? It's gotta be the same ones we beat!" Mala exclaimed.

"The very same, I'd wager. Either way, I was outnumbered and outmatched. I didn't have any other choice but to scatter the Signs all across the world. Now, I've got to find them and get them all back before they fall into the wrong hands," Arran said.

"Like the Shadow Legion," Liam added.

"But what would those name stealers want with them?" Mavis asked.

"Honestly, I don't know," Arran admitted, shaking his head. "But whatever it is, it can't be good. Can you think of a reason why your father would want them?"

"My father? What makes you think he's behind this?" Liam asked.

"Well, the Shadow Legion is his personal demon army, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but it can't be Tzan Ren! I mean, my mom killed him already!" Mala argued.

"How exactly did she kill him?" Arran asked.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh! I can answer this one! She crystallized him and smashed his body to bits!" Mavis grinned, punching the air in front of her in an effort to mimic the event.

"Crystallized? Is there any way he could have broken free?" Arran asked.

"No, and there's no way to ask since she's dead too," Mala said sadly.

"I see…"

"What is it?" Liam asked, noticing the inquisitive look on Arran's face.

"Well, when a Demon Sorcerer dies, any spell they've cast is automatically undone," he explained.

"But, that wouldn't make a difference, would it? His body would still be in piece," Tim said.

"Demon Sorcerers are curious creatures, Tim. Just because their physical body expires, doesn't mean they truly die."

"Wait, wait, you mean to tell me they can turn into ghosts?" Mavis cried.

"Well, ghosts isn't the official term for it. We call them astral forms: sort of like their incorporeal form of their spirits or souls. A Demon Sorcerer can continue to survive in their astral form even when their physical body is destroyed."

Everyone turned to Mala when they heard her gasp loudly. "I-I didn't bring this up earlier because I wasn't sure of what to make of it, but you guys remember when I got separated from you in the Arctic when we were going to rescue Liam from Dong Xin?" Everyone nodded. "Well, I saw something when I was by myself."

"What was it?" Remy asked.

"It was a wolf," Mala answered.

"Well, that's not exactly uncommon in the Arctic," Tim noted, pushing his glasses up to rest on the top of his nose.

"No, no, it wasn't just a normal wolf! It's eyes were completely red like ours when we're in our demon forms and it was wearing my mother's necklace, the one my dad used to banish her and that he later gave to me!"

"That very well could have been your mother's astral form. But, without a physical body, her ability to interact with you would be greatly limited."

"Hang on, if Mala's mom is still around as a ghost, then why isn't your mom?" Mavis asked Arran. "Or yours?" she asked next to Liam.

"Honestly, I don't know," Liam replied. "I always thought she'd still be around in her astral form, maybe even try to find me but… every time I've tried to sense her presence, I get nothing."

"Perhaps something is preventing Hsian Ji from materializing… As for my mother, Tzan Ren didn't just kill her; he obliterated her, astral form and all," Arran said.

"B-but to destroy an astral form, how is that even possible?" Mala asked.

"Normally, it's not. But light and dark share a special relationship with each other."

"What do you mean?" Remy asked.

"Well, light and dark were once a single entity, until they split into Tzan Ren and Shuo Guang. Light and dark are both strong and weak against each other…"

"Oh, like ghost and dragon-types in Pokemon!" Mavis interrupted. When all she got as an awkward silence, Mavis continued speaking, "You know, cuz ghost and dragon-type Pokemon are super-effective against themselves? You guys all need to play more video games. Mental note:" Mavis began muttering to herself as she took out a black marker, "organize video game marathon," she said out loud as she wrote the same words on her arm.

"Why did you write that on your arm?" Drago asked.

"Well, where else am I going to write it?"

"…You know that's a permanent marker, right?" Tim asked, pointing to the marker label.

"Crap…" she muttered."

"Um, as I was saying, I suppose it's a little like that…Pokemon thing you mentioned. Light is strong against dark, but dark is equally strong against light. But the only way to completely destroy light or dark is to use the most purified form of that element. Pure light will completely eradicate pure darkness, but it works both ways: pure darkness can also completely wipe out pure light. That is how Tzan Ren destroyed my mother."

"So… my father really is back, isn't he? When Lang Yan died, her spell broke and his astral form must have been freed from the crystals. I guess I just didn't want to believe he could ever come back…" Liam muttered.

"But it appears he is. The big question is: what is he after?" Arran asked as he lay a consoling hand on Liam's shoulder.

"Well, you said a Demon Sorcerer's powers are limited in astral form, right? Maybe he's trying to find a way to get his body back," Drago suggested.

"Is that even possible?" Tim asked.

"It is! Daolon Wong performed some kind of dark magic spell a few years ago that reconstructed my father's body perfectly after the Chan's destroyed him as a statue," he explained.

"But what does that have to do with the Signs?" Mala asked.

"Well, each Sign has their own power, but I believe I know which one Tzan Ren may be seeking. Virgo: the power of Recovery. It has the power to heal injuries and, perhaps in Tzan Ren's hands restore his lost body. Normally, Virgo wouldn't be able to restore something like an entire body, but when used by someone directly related to their original creator, the Signs are capable of so much more. Unfortunately, when those Demon Sorcerers you defeated attacked me before, I was forced to scatter them entirely."

"How?" Mavis asked.

"Like this," Arran answered, waving his hand and opening a portal of light in front of him.

"Whoa!" they all exclaimed.

"It's one of my more… unique abilities. I can open a portal leading to wherever I desire."

"Then why not just open portals to where you sent the Signs?" Liam asked.

"That's the problem. When I scattered them, I sent each one through its own portal. The more portals I open at once, the less control I have over where they lead. I won't know where each portal goes until I go through it myself. But when I meditate, I'm able to focus in on the magical signature of one of the Signs, but only one at a time unfortunately. So far, I've only managed to track three down on my own: Capricorn, Sagittarius and Libra." Arran walked behind the counter as he spoke and held his hand over the countertop, causing three Signs to appear on the table with the emblems of a brown sea-goat, light blue centaur archer and light yellow scales.

"Wow…" they all said in awe.

"Oh, I guess this means that this," Mavis said, fumbling around in her bag before pulling out the Sign they got from Dong Xin, "belongs to you!"

"Oh, Pisces! Wonderful, thank you so much!" Arran said happily as he received the Sign from Mavis. "That just leaves eight!"

"We figured out what Pisces does already, but what do these three do?" Mala asked curiously.

"Well, Sagittarius should be rather obvious: Arrow Beams. Its power lets me create as many light arrows and fire as many light beams as I want. I can still fire light arrows normally by myself, but this allows me to fire many, many more."

"Cooool," Mavis grinned with wide eyes.

"As for the other two, Capricorn's power is Luck while Libra is Imbalance Detection."

"Luck, huh?" Remy asked.

"Yes, its a very curious power. When in possession of it, the user will, well, find themselves bestowed with amazing luck!"

"And how does Libra work exactly?" Tim asked.

"Well, it allows me to know if someone is off balance, like if they're lying or if something is out of alignment with them. It also allows me to detect if there's just something off with the general atmosphere or area."

"Ohhh, so it's like a 'there's a disturbance in the force' detector," Mavis said.

"Yes, exactly like that!" Arran exclaimed.

"Oh, finally! Someone who gets my references! I'm liking you more and more, Arran!" she smiled widely. "So, you need any help finding these other Signs?"

"Oh, no you guys don't have to help, really. I wouldn't want to impose."

"It's no imposition! Besides, you'd be surprised at the experience we have in hunting down small magical objects with cool powers and fighting bad guys at the same time," Mala said smugly.

"And besides, with the Shadow Legion after them too, you'll need all the help you can get!" Remy added.

"Plus," Liam said, walking up to Arran and holding out his hand, "we're family."

"Heh, I appreciate that, cousin," Arran smiled, shaking Liam's hand.

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><p>"Master, please! Let me go back there! I swear I will acquire the Signs for you!" Hou Yi pleaded.<p>

"You have already failed my once, Hou Yi!" the shadow bellowed angrily. "I specifically ordered you to keep my son unaware of our plans. And now he and his friends are completely aware of us!"

"Please, master, just give me another chance!" Hou pleaded once more.

"SILENCE! Interrupt me once more, and I will rip out that tongue of yours!" the shadow glared, intimidating Hou Yi into silence. The shadow then turned to Jun and spoke, "Jun, I trust that you will not fail me."

"I shall endeavour to serve you as best as I can, master," he said with a bow.

"Good. I have already sensed the presence of another Sign and because of Hou Yi's blunder, my son and his friends will likely pursue it as well," the shadow said bitterly, sending a vicious glare to Hou Yi. "Your mission is to acquire the Sign at all costs. But, do not kill my son or his friends. Leave them to me."

"And what of the light demon?" Jun asked.

"First confirm that Hou Yi saw what she claims she saw. If there is indeed a light demon aiding them, capture him and bring him to me. I would certainly like to know how a single light demon escaped death."

"Yes, master," Jun bowed once more. He reached behind his back to draw his treasured sword, a dark blue blade with tiny silver stars. If one were to look at it completely still, they could just notice the stars moving ever so slightly. But this was no ordinary blade; it was Jun's most treasured and only possession. A blade that defeated one thousand opponents, a blade that broke one thousand stars: Qian Xing Po. _'At last, I will find a worthy opponent!'_

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><p><strong>And... Linos has more family! Family that isn't actively trying to kill him! Yay!<strong>

**Now in case you haven't figured it out, this arc will be a bit like arc 1 in the whole (finding x number of things before the bad guys do). So, since D-Sniper and I can only come up with so many scenarios, I'd love some ideas or suggestions of scenarios for Signs! And with Arran's portal abilities, that opens up the door for us, so it all doesn't have to be exclusively in Los Angeles ;)**


	4. Girl Talk

**I finally got into the mood to write for City Shadows. I don't know what it was, but I just couldn't get into the mood. I think the problem was we couldn't decide which Sign to start with. You see, with Coins, we decided the order they would appear and then made up the scenarios, but this time, we made the scenarios and then put them in order. But hopefully, I'll be able to keep going after this.**

**ALSO! This chapter contains some language not suitable for children. That's right, big kids and up only! So, be warned!**

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><p>"All right, I'm here, Mavis!" Mala called, bursting into the Callahan household. She moved into the kitchen where she saw Mavis leaning on the counter, facing her. "Uh, where are the raspberry tarts you said we were gonna have?" she asked, pointing at the counter where she had expected a bakery box to be sitting while she eyed her friend suspiciously.<p>

"Yeah, the thing is, I kinda maybe sorta fibbed about the reason I needed you to come over today," Mavis casually trailed off as her shoulders tensely rose with each word along with the pitch of her voice.

"So, you lured me here with false promises of fruity bakery tarts? Oh, Mavis, that hurts me so!"

"Don't be ridiculous! When Mavis Callahan makes a food promise, she keeps that food promise… with the food she promised!" Mavis smiled, pulling out a white bakery box from beneath the counter. The minute Mala laid eyes on the box, she grabbed it from Mavis' hands, tore the box open and began digging into one of the raspberry tarts inside.

"Mmmmm," Mala hummed contently, "I knew you wouldn't let me down Mavis. I had complete faith in you!"

"Complete faith, huh?"

"Complete," Mala assured her with a nod. As she spoke, bits of crumbs fell from Mala's mouth and onto the counter.

Mavis quickly whipped out her phone and snapped a quick picture of Mala. "Oh yeah, that's a very flattering pic. I'll save that one for later!"

"Ha ha," Mala laughed sarcastically, "But while you were busy photographing me, I'm already on the second tart!"

"WHAT? No fair! You have to leave me some!" Mavis yelled, lunging for the box.

"God, these are so delicious," Mala sighed.

"Mmm, I know right? I think it's crazy that they only make these during the summer. These should seriously be a year long product!"

"Maybe you should write them a letter," Mala suggested.

"Every month for the past three years," Mavis smiled.

"Wow, that's some serious dedication."

"Hey, when it involves food, I'm nothing by serious, especially when stupid franchises decide to make certain foods only available at certain times!"

"Like fast food breakfast?"

"Like fast food breakfast! Seriously, some of these suckers don't get that people wake up at different times! When I sleep in till noon on Saturdays, the first thing I eat is breakfast, not lunch, not brunch, breakfast! Why must my desire for breakfast sandwiches go unfulfilled!"

"Yeah, I won't lie, sometimes in the evening I'll just be craving one of those breakfast sandwiches, but I can never get one!"

"Our lives truly are a struggle, Reid," Mavis mumbled with her mouth full of fruit tart.

"You mean beyond fighting demons and stopping the forces of evil?" Mala asked.

"Yeah, that!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Mavis shrieked loudly and flinched, sending bits of crumbs flying onto Mala.

"Mavis!" Mala cried, brushing the crumbs off her shoulders and running her fingers through her hair to check for any more crumbs.

"Sean! What did I tell you about sneaking up on me like that! You know I have the nerves of an easily startled cat!" Mavis cried, marching up to her younger brother, who stood in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Or you could just say that you're easily startled," he pointed out

"I like my way of saying it better!" Mavis insisted with a proud pout.

Sean ignored his sister and instead walked into the kitchen and up to Mala. "Hi, Mala," he said bashfully, standing on one foot while rocking his other foot back and forth while his toes were still on the floor.

"Hi, Sean," Mala greeted with a polite smile. "So what's a little genius like you up to for today?"

"Hopefully butting out of my business!" Mavis cried loudly.

From his seat at the counter, Sean leaned over and stuck his tongue out at Mavis before returning his attention to Mala. "Well, I'm taking an advanced chemistry workshop this summer. If I pass, they'll let me start high school early!"

"Wow! That sounds cool!"

"I'm working on a project right now actually. D-do you wanna see it?" he asked timidly as a very noticeable blush formed on his cheeks.

"I'd love to!" Mala smiled.

"But, Mala, I need to talk to you about-" Mavis started.

"It'll only take a second, Mavis, I promise," Mala swore as Sean excitedly took her by the hand and led her upstairs to his room. Five minutes later, Mala returned to the kitchen. "Mavis, your brother is so adorable! Makes me kinda wish I had a younger siblings of my own."

"Eh, they're not that great, just ask Collin and Finn. I bet those two will have loads of stories to tell you about how horrible of a younger siblings I was… am," she laughed.

"You mean something worse than chronically stealing their money and wearing them out with your… strong personality?"

"Well, let's just say that there's a reason we're not allowed to have water guns in the house anymore. You know Sean's got a huge crush on you right?"

"What? No…" Mala insisted.

"Nah, it's true. He asks about you all the time and I found a sketch of you he did in his notebook. But onto today's business!" Mavis declared as Mala absentmindedly shrugged her shoulders.

"Right, the so-called 'real reason' you wanted just me here," Mala said, sitting on the opposite side of the counter to Mavis.

"How do I…" Mavis started, trying to find the words. "Ok, I've never been the kind of person to be actively preoccupied with this sort of thing but... Oh gosh, how do I say this?"

"Uh, Mavis?" Mala asked, beginning to worry.

"How do I get a boy's attention?" she blurted out. Mala stared at her friend silently, which only made Mavis all the more nervous. "Well? Say something!"

"That's what this is about? You want my advice on boys?" Mala asked in disbelief.

"Oh its stupid, just forget I said anything!" Mavis cried, trying to brush it off.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hang on!" Mala called, grabbing Mavis' wrist to keep her from leaving. "What brought this on?"

"Ok, well you see, there's this boy I like…"

"Yeah, I gathered that much," Mala chuckled.

"And I'm not really sure how to get his attention."

"And you think I can help you with that?"

"Well you are my only female friend AND you have a boyfriend! As far as I'm concerned that makes you and expert!"

"Mavis, I've only ever been with Drago."

"'Been with' is right. Bow chicka wow wow!"

"MAVIS!" Mala shrieked.

"Sorry…"

"As I was saying, I've only ever been with Drago and the way we got together isn't exactly what you would call normal."

"Well, then run me through that! Its better than all the other information I have to go by. All those gushy teen magazines have no helpful information!"

"Ok then, I guess where it starts with me and Drago is how much history we have. I mean, we've known each other since we were kids and at the time, we were the only half-demon kids we knew. It made bonding with each other easy. Nobody else could understand me the way he could and vice versa."

"History… got it!" Mavis said, writing down notes on a notepad.

"Wow, you're actually taking notes for this," Mala said in amazement. "Wait, where did you get that notepad?"

"That's for me to know and you to…not know? Nevermind that, just continue please!"

"Ok well, I didn't see Drago for a long time after that, at least not until last year. And if you don't mind, I'd prefer to skip over the whole 'tricking me into helping him take over the world' bit."

"That's fair," Mavis agreed.

"Even with everything that happened between us in San Francisco, as hurt as I was, part of me still loved him. We had this connection that spanned nearly our entire lives and I just never felt that way about anyone else. As for getting Drago's attention, well, that was pretty easy. He's not like this very much now, but back then he was a pretty forceful, tough guy. If I wanted something from him, I just went right up to him and told him I wanted it. Guys that are into power usually respond to powerful women."

"Hm, ok, but what if the guy I'm into isn't into power?"

"Hmm," Mala thought for a moment, "then I guess you just have to figure out his interests and build some common ground between the two of you. Mavis, I really don't think I'll be of much help to you. I've only had the one experience."

"And I bet the two of you had that experience multiple times over. Oh!" Mavis exclaimed while Mala simply blinked at her emotionlessly. "Eh?" Mavis asked, holding her hand up to Mala for her to high five, "Don't leave me hangin'."

"Ok, I'm leaving," she declared.

"No, no, no! Wait, I'm sorry. But can you blame me? My best friends gets her V card stamped and she won't tell me a single detail! Besides, I can't help but be… curious about how it gets done between demons," Mavis said hesitantly, trying her best to make that sound the least awkward as possible. "Come on, indulge your crazy friend?"

Mala sighed, knowing that her friend would not stop with the incessant line of questioning. If there's one thing Mala learned about handling Mavis, it was to just give her what she wanted. "All right fine, you really wanna know?" she asked as Mavis energetically nodded her head, eagerly awaiting the answer. "It was the single most amazing experience of my life," she sighed happily.

"Sweeeet, so spill it! Tell me everything!" Mavis squealed.

"Whoa whoa, slow down. I didn't come over here to tell you about my sex life. You called me here for boy advice, remember? So you spill it! Who's the lucky guy?" she asked. _'Like I even need to ask,'_ Mala thought to herself. She knew exactly who is was Mavis was attempting to woo.

"Oh that's… not important. Just leave that part out for now," she replied meekly. However, Mala noticed this quick and sudden drop in her friend's tone of voice.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Well, it's just, I'm not like most girls. I'm not nearly as pretty as you are!"

"That's not true!" Mala quickly protested.

"Oh yes it is, Mala! You're one of the hottest girls in school and to be honest, if I was a guy, I'd wanna get with you!"

"…Thank you?" Mala asked, unsure of how to take that remark.

"But the point is, I'm not one of those girls who can just flip her hair or bat her eyelashes to get any guy she wants."

"But you have a great personality!"

"Oh please! That's what they say about all the plain Janes! 'She's not as hot as so and so, but she's got a great personality,'" Mavis said, lowering the tone of her voice to imitate a boy's.

"I'm serious Mavis. Your personality is the greatest thing about you. I can say for certain that I have never met nor will I ever meet someone as amazing and as eccentric as you! You're one of a kind!"

"Aw, thanks, Mala. That really means a lot coming from a half-crystal demon," Mavis smiled. "Come on, let's go meet up with the guys! I heard they were checking out Tim's new car!" The girls left Mavis' house and made their way over to Tim's, where they saw the four boys crowded around Tim's new car, a slim, sleek silver convertible.

"Ooooh sweet! That's one hot ride!" Mavis exclaimed, admiring the car. "Let's pop the hood down and take her for a spin!"

"No way! I wanna preserve that new car smell!" Tim insisted.

"You mean the new car smell of plastic and artificially scented pine trees? Lighten up, Tim. Keys please," she asked, holding out her hand.

"Nuh uh! Give the girl who flunked her road test three times in a row the keys to my brand new car? I don't think so. I'm the only one who'll be driving this car!"

"Wouldn't have failed if it weren't for that stupid squirrel," she mumbled under her breath. "Every time, it's there and it screws me up! It's got a vendetta against me, I tell ya!"

"Yeah yeah, get in the car, squirrel girl. I got a text from Arran just before you two got here. He wants to see as right away," said Liam.

"Shotgun!" Mavis shouted, hopping into the passenger seat. As the drove, Mavis wasted no time to press the button that took down the top of the car, at which point Tim starting yelling at her, only to have no choice but to redirect his attention to the road.

When they pulled up to Arran's soon-to-be restaurant, Tim parked the car and they all started heading in. Mala, however, pulled Drago back as the others went inside. "What is it?" he asked.

"I have huge news!" Mala said excitedly.

"Oh my god, you're pregnant!" Drago cried, only to have Mala swiftly punch him in the shoulder. "Ow!"

"No, I am not pregnant! Why would you think that?"

"Hey, it's a logical conclusion!" he argued.

"I am not pregnant," she assured him.

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure! I think I would know if I was pregnant! But that's not the point!" Mala cried, trying to get back to her main point. "What I was trying to say was, Mavis asked me for advice about boys!"

"So?"

"So, that means she's into someone!"

"Who?"

"Who do you think?"

"…" Drago simply stared at her with a blank expression.

"Oh good lord, it's a wonder why it took so long for us to get together. Ok, who in our group is Mavis most likely to have a crush on?"

"Uh…"

"Liam!"

"Liam? What makes you so certain?"

"Because it's so obvious! Women have a sixth sense for this sort of thing," Mala said proudly. "And I know for a fact that he's into her too!"

"How do you know that?"

"Because he told me so just after I became friends with them. Oh, they would make such a cute couple! You know what we have to do right?" she asked him.

"Get them together?"

"We so have to get them together!" Drago smiled as he watched his girlfriend jumping up and down, giggling excitedly.

"Right, well maybe you can devise a romantic scheme when we're not trying to save the world from Liam's crazy dad and his army of shadow demons," Drago said, dragging Mala inside Arran's building behind him.

"Glad you all made it," Arran greeted.

"So did you find another Sign?" Liam asked.

"Yes. It took some time but I was finally able to tap into the magical signature of one of them. Hopefully, I'll be able to track down the rest before Tzan Ren does."

"So, which one is it and where is it located?" asked Remy.

"At this point, I can't be certain which Sign it is until I get to it. As for where we're going, Spain," he answered.

"Yes! Spain! Cross that off my bucket list!" Mavis exclaimed with a fist pump.

"You're seventeen and you already have a bucket list?" Mala asked.

"Hey, we lead dangerous lives," Mavis pointed out.

"That's actually a good point," Liam added.

"See? He gets me! So what are we waiting for? We're wasting time!"

"You're right," Arran said, "The sooner we find the Sign, the better. We can't allow even a single Sign to fall into Tzan Ren's hands." Arran closed the blinds and locked the entrance to the building before holding out his hand in front of him. A large circle of light suddenly appeared in front of him as he turned back to address the group. "I'll be able to instantaneously transport us wherever we need to go."

"But I thought you couldn't control where your portals led," Drago cried.

"That was only when I had multiple ones open at the same time. With one portal, I have complete control on where it goes." With that, Arran stepped into the portal, disappearing into the light as the rest of them slowly followed. When they came out on the other side, they were in a small alleyway under a dark sky.

"Hey, how come its dark all of a sudden?" Mavis asked.

"Time zones, Mavis. Spain is nine hours ahead of Los Angeles," Tim explained.

"Oh, right."

"Arran, do you feel anything?" Remy asked.

"Yes, now that we're much closer. The Sign is coming from over there!" Arran pointed to the end of the alleyway leading into the street. As the seven of them made their way out of the alley, a figure with two long horns curved upright hunched over the edge of the rooftop over the alley.

"Arran…" Jun muttered to himself. "So Hou Yi was right; there is a light demon among us." He turned towards the twin demons hounds that accompanied him, "Spread out and find the Sign. I will tail the light demon and the children and assess their abilities, what Hou Yi failed to do." Hei Gou nodded obediently and dashed off, followed hesitantly by An Gou as Jun turned and ran along the rooftop, keeping a close eye on the seven. At first glance, Jun could tell which of them were demons and which were not: the blonde, Arran, was the light demon, as was the girl with long brown hair, the boy with spiky black hair and finally, the other boy with shaggy black hair. That last one had to be Linos, Tzan Ren's son. None of them would do, however. He didn't want an opponent who had supernatural abilities. It wouldn't make the fight fair. After all, Jun didn't care about powers. What mattered to him was skill and honor in battle. He had selected countless opponents he thought would be worthy, only to easily defeat them in the end. None of them proved to be challenging or a true test of his abilities.

One thousand opponents, and he bested them all. Jun cast his eyes over the human members of the group. Already he could sense some magic coming off the light brown-haired boy. He wasn't a demon, no, but perhaps a Chi Wizard. Either way, he was out. As for the red-haired girl, he didn't have much to judge her abilities on, but based on Hou Yi's earlier encounter with them and what she said, the redhead was ordinary. Jun's eyes landed on the last one, the boy with black hair in a low ponytail and green eyes. He was close to brushing him off as well and prepared to lament on how he would never find an opponent that would truly test him.

That is, until he saw the crest on the boy's shirt. The emblem was unmistakable: two green circles on top of each other, the top smaller than the bottom while a moon shaped curve sat at the very bottom. Every demon knew that crest well as the symbol of the Ryder Clan, notorious demon slayers and hunters back in ancient times. Jun had battled a Ryder slayer once before, very skilled and very deadly. They were so evenly matched that it could have gone either way, but at the end, Jun was victorious. Out of all the battles he had fought, that was the most thrilling. Every skill he had being put to the test and he pushed himself harder and harder to win. He never thought in a million years that he would have the chance to face another Ryder slayer. The opportunity was just too much to pass up! He wasn't at all concerned at how young the slayer looked for he knew the Ryder Clan started training slayers at a young age. Fate had smiled upon him and given him a second chance to attain his goal. He would not squander this opportunity. Ryder slayers always went up against demons with great powers, usually without powers of their own to even things out. They were able to best powerful sorcerers with nothing more than a blade. That made them the perfect opponent for Jun.

"At last," he smiled, already unable to contain his excitement at the prospect of battle, "a worthy opponent, one who will give me what I desire most."

* * *

><p><strong>So, you know originally this chapters was going to be all one Sign encounter, but I just got really into the first half and it ended up making the chapter a lot longer than I expected. So I figured this was a good place to call it for now. <strong>


	5. Thousand Star Breaker

**So, at first I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find time to write now that school's started up, but it turns out that for my course, I'm a fast learner and I finish assignments in class ahead of everyone else. Soooo, that leaves me with a lot of me time to do whatever, in this case, write!**

**Apologies if the last chapter felt like a filler. I too dislike being given filler when I wait so faithfully for one of my shows so I give my sincerest apologies and hope this action-packed chapter will make up for it :) Basically when I'm typing up the chapter, I'll sometimes think of a conversation topic between characters as I go and I don't want to rush that conversation since, you know, irl friends take their time to talk about their stuff and all. And sometimes, writing all that out ends up being longer than I expected and I like my chapters to be around a certain length. So if I think the chapter's reached a good place to end, I'll stop it there. **

**I was gonna upload this last night, but I lost track of time playing WoW with D-Sniper and had to hit the hay early for school. .**

**Also, I will provide pronunciation guides for our Chinese named characters. I've seen people butcher Mandarin pronunciation mostly because they just never learned the language (which is understandable), but if I can help the non-Mandarin fluent readers say the names right, I will! And I'm totally not going to use proper phonetics or anything. I'll just use actual words or sounds of words lol.**

**Lang Yan: "l-ahng yen" ("ye" as in "yeah"; the "ang" in "Lang" is NOT pronounced like Aang's name in ATLA, it's got like an "ah" sound with it, actually, think of how they pronounced Aang's name in that god-awful live action movie)  
>Hsian Ji: "sh-ien jee" ("j" as in "joke")<br>Tai Ci: "tie tsi" (you know that South Park episode with Caesar Milan? "tsi" is like that sound he made when he was "training" Cartman)  
>Sen Qiang: "sen (like "pen") chee-ahng<br>Liao She: "lee-ow sh-uh" ("She" is not pronounced like "she"; the "e" sound in Mandarin makes like an "uh" sound)  
>Dong Xin: "d-ohng sheen"<br>Shuo Guang: "sh-wo ("wo" as in like "world", not "whoa") gwu-ahng"  
>Hou Yi: "hoe yee"<br>Jun Bing: "jun ("un" as in "gun") bing", like the search engine  
>Wei Gong: "way gohng"<br>Tzan Ren: "Tz-ahn ren"  
>Hei GouAn Gou: "hey go"/"ahn go"**

* * *

><p>"Arran, do you feel it?" Liam asked again for the third time. He didn't mean to badger Arran, but he was the only one who could sense the Signs. This wasn't like when they had Tim actively tracking a Coin with a spell.<p>

"Its close!" he exclaimed, "but its difficult to pinpoint. I can't focus with all these people!"

"Why are there so many people anyway?" Mavis asked, gazing at the street that was suddenly full of bustling people.

"It looks like everyone's setting up for some festival," Mala said, noticing people placing decorations on the exterior of buildings and setting up various vendor stalls.

"Well, we better find it fast! We don't want to risk a fire fight with this many people when the Shadow Legion shows up," Remy said.

"Remy's right. The sooner we find the Sign and get out of here, the better. Let's split up, cover more ground," Liam ordered as they all split up. The seven of the split up and scattered across different areas of the street, checking every little thing and every alleyway they could as discreetly as possible. After a few minutes of searching, a loud explosion erupted at the end of the street. The sky suddenly lit up brightly as a building in the distance burst into flame. Liam exchanged worried and shocked glances with his friends before they took off past the screaming and panicking public towards the fire.

"What happened?" Mala asked one of the bystanders.

"I don't know!" he cried in panic, eyes wide with fear, "The fire! It just started out of nowhere! I think there are still people inside!" Just as he said that, they could hear panicked screams coming from inside the burning building.

Liam turned to Drago. "Drago, you and me are on fire duty! I'll get anyone still inside; you keep that fire under control!"

"Got it!" Drago followed after Linos into the burning building, ignoring the cries of bystanders telling them not to go. Once inside, they quickly transformed into their demon forms. "How many people are still in the building?"

Linos closed his eyes for a moment and concentrated on the environment around him. He focused past the sound of the roaring flames all around him and concentrated on the panicked screams and whimpers coming from within the building. "We've got two on the next floor and one at the very top!" The pair wasted no time ascending the building to the next floor. As Drago kept the flames off them, Linos used his shadow tendrils to rip open the door. Flames erupted from the other side, desperately seeking the oxygen that Linos had now opened up for them, but Drago easily quelled the flames and kept them subdued. Linos picked up the unconscious man and swung him over his shoulder before proceeding to the next apartment. He and Drago repeated the same motion from before and easily retrieved the woman trapped inside. "Just the last one!" Linos cried.

Before they could continue, Hei Gou burst through one of the other apartment doors. When he noticed Linos and Drago present, Hei narrowed his eyes in a vicious glare. Linos could just make out the low growl that hummed from Hei even with the roaring flames around them. Drago narrowed his eyes, seeing something in Hei's mouth. "He's got the Sign!" Drago shouted, just as Hei ran off and out one of the windows into the street below.

"Let the others get Hei! We still have people to save. You take these two and get them out of here! I'll get the last one!" Linos shouted, handing Drago the two unconscious humans.

"You sure?" Drago asked.

"I'm sure! Now hurry!" Linos insisted, ascending the building further while Drago jumped out the same window as Hei. When Linos made it to the top floor, he rushed over to the second apartment, where he could hear faint whimpers and crying. Holding up his arms and preparing his wings to shield him from the flames, Linos burst through the door and noticed a small child covering in the corner in fear. When she saw Linos, she only squealed in fright more and tried to crawl further away from him, a feat the wall behind her prevented. "Whoa, whoa, it's ok!" he insisted, quickly shifting into his human form, "See? Normal guy!" The child relaxed slightly upon seeing Linos' human face, but remained paralyzed with fear from the fire around her. "Come on, let's get you out of here," he said, holding out his hand for her to take. Just as she hesitantly reached out to take his hand, another explosion burst through the building, prompting the child to jump into Linos' arms. Without another second thought, he changed back into his demon form and jumped out the window, folding his wings around his body to shield the child in his arms from shards of glass. As they fell, the child screamed loudly, prompting Linos to quickly open his wings and slow their descent into the street below. When he set the child down, he noticed her relieved parents running over to her. But that wasn't the only thing; Linos could easily notice every bystander's eyes on him. Before anyone could do or say anything, he quickly disappeared into his shadow before reappearing in a nearby alleyway in his human form. "So much for keeping a low profile," he muttered. He peeked out from the alleyway just in time to see the fire trucks pull up. His eyes locked with that of the girl he saved, who smiled and waved at him. He waved back before noticed a flash of light in the sky a few blocks over. "Arran…" he muttered, changing into demon form again and taking off towards the light. As he flew, he noticed Arran and Mala in their demon forms – with Mala carrying Tim and Mavis with her – landing on a rooftop standing opposite to Hei, who defiantly stood his ground. He landed on the roof with them just as Drago joined them as well.

"How'd it go with the fire?" Tim asked.

"We got everyone out," Drago answered, proudly. "Honestly, it felt good saving people from a fire rather than setting fire to a building."

"Where's An?" Linos asked when he noticed only Hei.

"Don't know, so far it's only been this one," Arran said, drawing back a light arrow. "You have something that belongs to me," Arran narrowed his eyes at Hei, who mirrored his action.

Before Arran fired his light arrow, An Gou jumped onto the roof and stood by her twin. Hei gestured with a shake of his head for her to attack, but when she saw Linos, she became hesitant. Hei narrowed his eyes and took his front paw and slashed her across the face, knocking her down.

"Hey!" Linos shouted, stepping forward, "leave her alone!" Hei turned to Linos, dropped the Sign from his mouth and placed his paw protectively over it, refusing to relinquish ownership. Opening his mouth wide, Hei unleashed a stream of black flames towards the group, but Mala quickly raised a crystal wall in front of them to shield them all from the blast. When the flames finally stopped, Mala lowered the crystal wall.

An slowly rose from the ground, whimpering in pain and frantically shaking her head, as if she was fighting some internal battle that they were all oblivious to. When she opened her eyes, they were glowing dark red and her posture relaxed.

"Oh no," Linos muttered.

"What?" Drago cried.

"Whatever you do, please, don't hurt An," he begged Arran. Arran looked at his cousin in confusion before suddenly being knocked to the ground by An, who tackled him. Linos helped pull An off Arran, trying not to hurt either of them in the process. "It's ok, An, it's ok," Linos assured her, but An only snarled at him menacingly.

"Hey! Hei's getting away!" Mavis yelled, pointing at Hei as he ran away across the rooftops. "Boy that's weird to say."

"We can't let him get away!" Tim shouted.

"I'll hold An! Go after Hei!" Mala cried, as Pearl quickly changed into her battle form and engaged An.

"You two stay here," Linos said to Tim and Mavis.

"But!" Mavis started, but Linos interrupted her.

"It'll be easier to chase Hei down when I'm not carrying you two," he reasoned before flying off with Arran.

"We can't risk attacking from up here! We might hit civilians!" Arran cried.

"Then we'll have to get in close!" Linos agreed. Linos descended over Hei and slowly reached out towards the demon scout, but Hei whipped his spiked tail and Linos only narrowly avoided being hit.

"You're lingering too long! Try dropping me on him!" Drago shouted from below, running along rooftops to keep up with the pair. Linos nodded and flew down, grabbing either of Drago's wrists and lifting him into the air. Once they were directly over Hei, Linos dropped Drago, who landed right on top of the shadow demon hound. Hei lost his foot and the two of them rolled off the rooftop and landed roughly on a wooden gate, smashing it to bits.

"Oh that can't be good," Arran commented, noticing the gate they destroyed housed several black bulls that immediately became aggressive and prepared to charge.

"Crap!" Drago shouted, getting up to his feet and running down the street away from the bulls as Hei and the bulls followed closely behind.

"I've gotcha Drago!" Linos shouted, flying down right over Drago and grabbing his wrists again to raise him into the air. From up above the streets, they watched Hei desperately try to outrun the stampeding bulls, but he did not have An's speed and was easily trampled. When the bulls cleared down the rest of the street, Linos and Arran landed on the ground. A recovered Hei tried to seize the Sign he had dropped but Arran shot three light arrows that landed right in front of him, stopping the demon hound in his tracks.

"I don't think so," Arran said with narrowed red eyes as he drew back on his bow, ready to fire another light arrow. Hei, sensing no other options, begrudgingly retreated. Arran dispelled his light bow and bent down to pick up the Sign. As he examined the face of it, the greenish yellow bull insignia flashed.

"Oh, oh, oh! I wanna see!" Mavis squealed, trying to get a look. "Cool, so what's it do?"

"Taurus, Titanic Strength," Arran replied.

"Oh," Mavis sighed disappointed. "No offence, but we've kinda done super strength already."

"Well, at least we got the first one. That's one more that my father won't be getting his hands on," Linos declared.

"Wait, where's Remy?" Mala asked, prompting everyone else to look around for their missing friend.

* * *

><p>Remy's head shot up instantly when he heard the explosion and saw the roaring fire in the distance. "Oh no," he muttered to himself before taking off towards the fire. He ducked into an alleyway as a shortcut and to bypass all the people that ran in the opposite direction to him, but came to a halt when a figure jumped down and landed in front of him. Remy cautiously took a step back and slowly reached for his sword. "Let me guess, Shadow Legion commander?" Remy asked, whipping out his jian sword.<p>

"I am known as The Swordmaster, Commander of the infantry of the Shadow Legion," he reached for the dark blue sword strapped on his back as he spoke, "But you may call me Jun Bing." Without another word, Jun lunged forward as Remy just barely managed to block Jun's sword strike. He regained his footing and pushed the demon off him with his sword before reaching into his jacket and throwing out two circular blades, but Jun easily dodged the first and deflected the second with his sword. "The sun blades of Tai Ci," Jun said, recognizing the circular blades Remy used. "So you've bested the Sun Demon, even better," Jun grinned.

"What are you going on about?" Remy cried.

"You know, I've faced a Ryder hunter before," Jun smiled smugly when he saw the look of shock on Remy's face. "I never thought in a million years I'd get to face another," Jun declared, raising his sword and pointing the tip at Remy.

The two swordsmen dashed towards each other once more, matching blow for blow as the metallic clang of their swords making contact echoed through the chilly night sky. When they broke apart, Jun held his sword out to his right side as the silver stars on the navy blade began glowing. Remy looked at Jun and his blade in confusion and watched in awe as Jun moved the blade in a large circle, leaving behind small glowing orbs of silver until it came back to its starting point. Before Remy could question what the demon was doing, the orbs suddenly shot towards him at incredible speed. He just barely managed to deflect the orbs with his sword but one struck him in the shoulder and another right in his chest, knocking him roughly onto the ground. Before Remy could push himself up, Jun strolled over to him and planted his foot on Remy's other shoulder, pinning him to the ground. Remy held his breath and tensed when Jun brought the tip of his sword to Remy's neck.

"Qian Xing Po, the sword that broke one thousand stars," Jun declared. "Tell me, will you be one thousand and one?" Remy glared angrily at the demon that pinned him down while Jun continued speaking, "You are not your ancestor, that's for sure. It's no wonder your clan fell into decline. So, how will you get out of this, slayer?" Jun asked, genuinely intrigued to see Remy's next move.

Keeping Jun's navy sword in his peripheral vision, Remy scanned all aspects of the alley he could see. Nothing was within his reach and if he made a move, Jun could move in to finish the job. Short of his friends arriving dramatically to save the day, Remy was out of options. So, he did the only thing he could think of doing. He reached up to the navy star sword and wrapped his hand around it. In response to his movement, Jun moved back, pulling his sword along with him as the blade sliced open Remy's palm. As quickly as he could, Remy pushed himself to his feet with his other, unharmed hand and lunged toward Jun with his bloody palm extended out. Jun`s eyes widened in alarm as he stepped back and jumped onto the roof of the small building next to them. Jun was about to say something, but his gaze shifted from Remy to directly in front of him as three light arrows shot towards him. Jun easily sliced through two of them with his sword before catching the third in his hand.

"Remy!" Remy turned when he heard his name called and saw his friends arriving.

Arran, hovering above them, kept his bow drawn back with another light arrow aimed at Jun. When Arran noticed that Jun was holding the light arrow and unaffected by its power, he uttered, "How are you-"

"I would not waste your light arrows on me, Archer," Jun said, tossing aside the light arrow as if it was nothing. "Unlike my associates, I was not born of shadows," he remarked, before turning to address Remy. "I enjoyed our battle, however short it was. I see much potential in you; I look forward to when our blades clash next, Remy." Jun sheathed his sword and politely bowed before fading away into the shadows.

"What was that about?" Mavis asked.

"Remy, you ok?" Tim asked.

"I'm fine; it's just a scratch. What happened with you guys?"

"Oh you know, fought some demons, saved some people and kept a magical artifact from the forces of evil," Drago casually remarked.

"Which means we should be getting home. I don't know about all of you, but I think we've attracted enough attention here today," Arran said, opening a light portal back to Los Angeles for them. "The only thing I don't understand is why that demon wasn't affected by my light arrows," Arran pondered as they came out of the portal into his shop.

"He said his name was Jun Bing, the Swordmaster," Remy said as he bandaged the wound on his hand.

"Jun Bing?" Liam asked, back in his human form now.

"You know him?" Arran asked.

"Not personally, but I know of him. Dad didn't involve me a lot in Shadow Legion business, but I picked up a few things here and there. Where Hou Yi leads the rangers and scouts, Jun Bing is in charge of the main infantry."

"So he's another demon commander?" Mala asked.

"Right. I never met him, but I heard a lot of stories about him."

"Like what?" Mavis asked.

"Well, the most common one was that he's the most powerful swordsman in existence. It's said that he's defeated one thousand of the world's greatest warriors."

"The sword that broke one thousand stars…" Remy gasp.

"Qian Xing Po. When I was a kid, I heard that the sword contains the souls of the one thousand warriors he's defeated," Liam continued.

"But how come he was immune to Arran's light arrow?" Drago asked.

"Another rumor might actually explain that. You see, like most demons, I figured Jun was a Shadow demon. But I did hear a couple rumors circulating that he wasn't. There wasn't much to go on, but it just said that Jun wasn't born like other demons and he had no elemental alignment like most demons of his level. Nobody really knows where he came from, he just…appeared."

"How exactly did you learn all this if your dad didn't let you near his Shadow Legion?" Tim asked.

"Who said I had to be near them to learn this? It's very easy to eavesdrop when you have Sound Demon Chi," Liam smiled.

"One other thing," Arran spoke up, "Earlier, you asked me not to hurt An, that it wasn't her fault. What did you mean by that?"

"Oh well, you guys know how An's always been… different, like me? Let's just say it made following my dad's orders difficult. Hei never had a problem; he was always obedient to my dad, but An had trouble following orders. And whenever that happened, my dad was able to assume control of her, force her to obey. Hei wanted her to attack us, but she didn't want to, so my father forced her to attack."

"Being forced to attack someone you care about… that's so sad," Mala commented.

"Yeah," Liam agreed, "An was always there for me. I couldn't save my mother, but I won't let my father take An from me too!"

* * *

><p><strong>Jun has easily become my personal favorite of the three demon commanders. I don't know about you guys, but since joining the team, Remy has kiiiinda taken a bit of a backseat. I mean, the focus for plots tends to either revolve around Linos or Mala, since they are kinda the main characters. So, I thought it would be good to give Remy a rival of his own! Give him some spotlight for a bit :)<strong>


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